Tasting Notes

Release Date: Fall 2021

2017 was an excellent growing season, long, moderate, and measured.

For our Reserve, we selected fifteen exceptional barrels of our 2017 estate wine. This process is done just before our Estate Chardonnay is bottled. So, like the Estate Chardonnay, the Reserve sees 10-months of barrel age. These barrels are then stirred to release the fermentation sediments, and the wine (sediment and all) is transferred to a stainless steel tank. The wine rests in the tank for another 12-months. During this time, the sediments disappear into the wine.

As one would expect, there is an added layer of complexity with this process. The aromas are similar to our 2017 Estate Chardonnay but with more minerality. The flavors remain fresh and engaging yet with more depth.

We have been making a Reserve Chardonnay since 2007 and have been delightfully surprised to find the Reserve has even more longevity than our sought-after Estate bottling.

 

Production

326

Tech Notes

Yield: 1.5 tons per acre

Harvest: August 19th-30th

Numbers @ Harvest: 23.5° Brix, 3.30 pH, 8.5 grams acidity

Barrel Regimen: French Oak 50% new, 50% 1-year; 100% Barrel Fermented; 100% Malolactic; 10 months on the sur-lie (in barrel)

15 barrels selected for Reserve program in July 2018; wine and lees stirred then aged an additional 12 months in stainless steel tank

Bottling: July 2018

Alcohol: 14%

Reviews

95 points Antonio Galloni presents Vinous   - May 2022

The 2017 Chardonnay Reserve is an intriguing wine. For a vintage that was so torrid, the Reserve remains very much light on its feet. Tangerine oil, hazelnut, passionfruit, chamomile, butter, baked apple tart and pastry lend quite a bit of nuance. There’s good freshness and plenty of complexity. Time brings out the wine’s textural richness and exotic flair. The 2017 spent ten months in oak and then a year in tank prior to being bottled. Drinking window:  2023 – 2029—A.G

94 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine  - November 2021

A denser shade of yellow in the glass, this bottling begins with aromas of dried pineapple, mango and white flowers on the nose. The palate is both tightly woven in texture and yet rich in flavor, with dried lemon and pear slices that remain clean and fresh into the finish. —M.K.

94 points JebDunnuck.com   - December 21, 2021

What I believe to be the current release, the 2017 Chardonnay Reserve is a barrel selection from the estate on the Santa Cruz Mountains. It has a deeper, medium gold hue as well as a reserved yet promising nose of almond paste, golden fruits, toasted bread, and baking spices. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced on the palate, with good acidity and the class to evolve nicely for another decade. However, there’s no need to delay gratification either. Maturity 2022 – 2032

92 points Wine Spectator  - November 2021

Crisp acidity supports fresh Gala apple and pear tart flavors in this well-structured version, which shows nutmeg and clove accents midpalate that linger into the rich, open-textured finish, with plenty of toasty notes. Drink now through 2025. — KM

90 points Wine & Spirits Magazine  - October 2021

After his Estate Chardonnay has been aging in barrels for ten months, Jeffrey Patterson moves a selection of 11 of those barrels into stainless steel tanks for another ten months of aging on the lees. The 2017 is less about freshness than complexity, a round full-bodied chardonnay with heady notes of dried flowers and spice. Decant it for seared scallops. —J.G.